Council leader fears schools will be closed for months and generation of kids 'left behind'

Councillor Don Davies said North Somerset Council was in 'an extremely difficult position' (Image: Getty Images)

Sign up to FREE email alerts from SomersetLive - Daily

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The leader of North Somerset Council fears months-long school closures because of the coronavirus crisis will mean a generation of children is “left behind”.

Don Davies said many had claimed the lockdown should have happened sooner but it will be for history to judge - and different actions could have made things far worse.

He argued that the support from central government had been as good as it could be under the circumstances but it needed to deliver on its promises of masks and gloves.

There has been a good response to authority's appeal for personal protective equipment (PPE) so care staff can stay safe, although Councillor Davies said the scale will be relatively small and it needs national leadership.

Stay up to date with our App and newsletter

It's more important than ever to stay in touch with what's happening around you on a daily basis. Here are some options:

The newly-launched Somerset Live app delivers the latest news, sport and what’s on information to your mobile phone – all for free. Click on the App Store here to download the app for iOS devices, and on the Google Play store here to download the app on Android.

The ward member for Pill told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Social isolation isn’t easy. We’ve just got to do it.

“We’ve seen the implications of not doing it - that dreadful death toll rising ever upward.

“We as a nation have to be less selfish and a bit kinder. If we think less only of ourselves, we’ll get through this.

“The place we come out at the end is going to be fundamentally different from where we are now. The economy will be markedly different. I wonder whether we’ll be able to keep the level of transport, which is very good for the environment.

How are children's schools picked for them? (Image: PA)

“The more worrying stuff is around schools. I worry there’s a generation that will be left behind. They aren’t going to be back in before autumn. The long-term impacts on education is a big worry for me, particularly those children who are already disadvantaged.”

Schools shut to pupils apart from the children of key workers as the country went into lockdown last week.

Often critical of decisions made in Westminster, Cllr Davies said: “In the circumstances, the support from Government has been pretty good. They’re keeping us in the picture and asking for things to be done.

“People say things should have been done sooner - that’s for historians to judge. We are where we are with it.

“We could have done things differently and got it wrong and ended up in a far worse place. The blame game is irrelevant.

“This isn’t something anyone would have predicted. They’re reacting as quickly as they can.

“So much money has been promised. There’s been such a rush of stuff coming through. We just need to implement it.

“For me, the next question is how this is sustainable for a relatively long period."

Much of the workforce at North Somerset Council has rapidly adapted to working from home but key workers remain on the front line.

Cllr Davies is urging staff not to burn out and said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to all the council staff, and the NHS, and all the volunteers who are out helping, making sure people in isolation are fed and looked after.